Monica and Alison
Ok, I know I have been so so so so lame at keeping this thing updated but everytime I went to the internet café it was unplanned and I didn’t have enough time to type up the entry so this post is gonna have stories for about a month’s worth of stuff. Hope you enjoy…that is if you finish reading it all.

The kids at the graduation!


Ok so in the beginning of November the school had it’s graduation for the kinder and ninth grade. Gosh the graduations here are really long and boring but I went because one of the kids from my host family and some other niños were graduating from kinder and a few friends, including Isamar, from ninth grade.


On November 15th, me and two friends from my community went to see MANA in San Salvador, and all I can say is that it was AMAZING! It was at one of the soccer stadiums and they put on a great show…they played for over 2 hours. We were all blown away.
Me and Moncho at the Mana concert!







On November 17th I went to a neighboring community at the end of the peninsula where another volunteer, Teresa, works. They were having a cultural festival so I went along with two other volunteers and the director of the Health Program. It was fun…they gave a small presentation and we sat at the table of honor. Later that night they had a dance and me and my friend Tania went. And the next day Tania and I went to a water park which was so much fun! There is this crazy waterslide there…like none I’ve ever seen before. First there is a huge free-fall….then you come back up, go around a bend, drop again, and again, and into the pool. It was pretty intense.



On November 19th, which was my birthday as some of you may or may not know, there was a huge party in the high school – Instituto Nacional Pablo Tesak. And no the party wasn’t for me. They are going to build a huge tourist center across the street from the high school so the event was to lay the first brick of the tourist center. The president of El Salvador, good ‘ol Tony Saca, came to lay the first brick and tell everyone that they are going to pave the main street that goes through the peninsula.Me and Teresa.
That’s a promise that’s been in the making for a few years so we’ll see if they really live up to it like he says. Hopefully because that street sure is ugly in the winter….remember how it got washed away? Yeah.

So the president came to give a speech and that was all wupdy-doo….then they had soccer tournaments all morning and into the afternoon and one of the teams from Mendez actually won first place.
Me and the lead singer of Formula NorteñaIn the afternoon they had a rodeo which was really cool and a norteña band played and they were great. My friend Tania and I love this kind of music so we were up in front taking pics and enjoying the music when the lead singer sees me and makes some comment about the gringa in the audience with the beautiful blue eyes and he invited me to dance. I really wanted to dance because dancing to banda music is really fun so even though I didn’t want to get up on the stage, I went anyways. First I danced with the DJ of the musica norteña radio station, Quique Nuñex, who is so hot and then I danced with the lead singer.It was so fun. According to all my friends, these guys invited me to dance first thinking that I wouldn’t have the guts and second thinking that I didn’t know how to dance to this kind of music, so everyone said they were really shocked. Cuz I tell people I can dance but few have seen me dance. When I left the stage the lead singer sat down all exhausted looking and said something like, “I don’t know if I’m shocked or in-love.” It was really funny and then the rest of the afternoon, everyone was making comments about me dancing. That night they had a dance to finish up the party so I went to that which was really fun.

Me and Quique Nuñez

For Thanksgiving, a bunch of my peace corps friends and I went into the capital. Peace Corps asks families of the Embassy to host volunteers for Thanksgiving dinner so that’s what we did although we didn’t get matched up with an Embassy family, but rather a family that teaches at the British School. The woman is American and actually was a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa in the nineties and she is married to a Brit who teaches at the British School in San Salvador. So me, along with 9 other volunteers shared Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of Brits that work at the British school – it was really fun. And there was so many good desserts. I think there were more desserts than there was food. It was awesome…just the way it should be.

On November 24th, I went with some Peace Corps friends to San Miguel to go to the annual Carnaval that they celebrate there. Apparently it’s like the second biggest after the Carnaval they do in Brazil. They had a parade, which was cool, and music groups spread throughout the city so we walked around all night watching the bands. But man there were so many people there, it was insane.

That was pretty much the last exciting thing I did because on November 20th we started summer classes in the school and I was teaching there. I was giving two classes. Three days a week I gave charlas on different topics like self-esteem, values, sexuality, communication and sex-ed. And the other two days we did drama classes. It went pretty well although it was frustrating working with the younger kids. Other than that I’ve been having my women’s group meetings every two weeks. We’ve had four so far and we’re going pretty well I think. I’ve given charlas on stress, self-esteem, communication and nutrition so far. I try to make the meetings fun and interesting and I think for the most part the women enjoy the meetings. It lets them get out of the house and escape for an hour or so. For that alone I think they appreciate the meetings. I hope we can keep attendance up so we can start some kind of income generating project next year.

Other than that I’ve been hanging out a lot at the new restaurant that is part of the ADESCO. Slowly but surely it is lifting off the ground. Hopefully it doesn’t crash and burn. I would like to do a lot of advertising for it and am hoping to create a website for the local over break.

Last Tuesday I went to a youth event at a water park with some of the youth in my community. It was really fun. In the morning we had a training and after lunch we all went swimming and we were all dancing in the bus on the way home. I love the youth from my community – they are crazy but fun. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling well that day and only got sicker as the night went by. I thought I was going to die in the night, all alone in my little house. I had a fever, really bad body pains especially in my back, a headache, and crazy diarrhea. I called the doc in the middle of the night but there isn’t much he could have done so Wednesday morning I headed to the doc. Luckily my friends’ uncle was going to the capital so I went with him and I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a bacteria infection and amoebas. WOOHOO!!!! My first intestinal problem since I’ve been in this country. I guess it had to happen sooner or later but having gone ten months without being sick like this I thought it might never happen. But I think I just ate something bad that gave me the bacterial infection and they discovered that I also had amoebas, which were probably already there just not bothering me. But I’m on meds now, and finally feeling a little better.
Me and Isa
Yesterday, as going-away party, my friend Alfredo took me and his nephew and niece, Marlon and Isamar, for a little trip to the end of the peninsula. We went to the beach and went swimming and it was really beautiful and so much fun. And we drove along the beach which was really cool, but on the way back we got stuck in the sand and then the four-wheel-drive busted and he were stranded. But Don Alejandro came to our rescue, but Alfredo has to get his car fixed. But it was a fun day. Alfredo is the son of Mama Nene, who is pretty much my grandma here in El Salvador. That family is like my family…they take good care of me and I love them so much.

Me and Alfredo by the car stuck in the sand!



I have been wanting to go home for so long, but it was really hard saying good-byes, even though I’ll only be gone two weeks. Who knows…it’s totally bittersweet. But I’m looking forward to spending time with friends and family in the states.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Me and my Christmas Tree (it's a fake).
FELIZ NAVIDAD